But Without Access to the Machines or Source Code What Other Evidence Could There Be?

In addition to voting Rep. Rush Holt’s dangerous Election Reform bill out of committee today (see story linked below) the U.S. House Administration Committee on Tuesday also unanimously voted to dismiss four of the five U.S. House races from last November which had been challenged in Congress under the Federal Contested Elections Act.

Included in the four dismissals on Tuesday was the contest filed by vote-rigging whistleblower Clint Curtis (D) in his race against (alleged vote-rigger) Tom Feeney (R) in Florida’s 24th district. Late Monday nightwe reported that was likely occur.

Tonight, we received some comments from Capitol Hill staffers on the committee’s reasons for the dismissals…

Legislation Still to Allow for Uncounted and Uncountable Electronic Ballots on Touch-Screen Voting Systems…

Rush Holt’sElection Reform Bill (HR811) was successfully voted out of the U.S. House Administration Committee Tuesday after a four hour mark-up session. We’ll have analysis of the bill in the coming days as we are able to review a copy of the final version which is now headed to the House floor. We have been told that electronic balloting on Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) touch-screen systems will continue to be allowed in the bill.

Apparently, a paper ballot — one that is actually counted — for every vote cast in America is of little interest to either the Democratic and Republican members of the committee.

First out of the box to trumpet today’s “triumph”, naturally, was the bill’s top supporter, the public advocacy group,People for the American Way (PFAW). They had a press release good to go before the ink even dried on the dangerous new version of the bill (which, we should add, does include both some improvements to the initial version, along with several watered down provisions as we’ve been told…but we’ll wait until we actually read it before commenting further on any of that.)

For now, however, we have little choice but to characterize the tactics used by PFAW in their press release as despicable, while they continue to knowingly mislead the American people about what the Holt bill will and won’t do. (Their press release is posted in full at the end of this article.) This group knows better, and yet, they are doing it anyway…

Orwell Rolls In His Grave, featuring MCM – Buy the DVD

About News From Underground

News From Underground is a daily e-news service run by Mark Crispin Miller, a Professor of Culture and Communication at NYU. It is based on his belief that academics, like reporters, have a civic obligation to help keep the people well-informed, so that American democracy might finally work.

If you'd like to receive updates delivered to your inbox daily, sign up for News From Underground Alerts:

Help News From Underground!

Message from Mark: "I am a one-man operation, although assisted greatly by some volunteers, and, now and then, by people paid by others for one-time projects. There is no shortage of skilled, dedicated folks out there who want to help me. There is, however, nothing I can pay them with, unless you decide you can contribute something."